Magic ingredient in milk may explain weight-loss benefits

Put down the processed diet food. New research has found the answer to weight-loss success may be as close as your refrigerator.

Swiss scientists recently unlocked a secret ingredient that can help in the fight against obesity, and it’s a naturally-occurring ingredient in milk: nicotinamide riboside (NR). The study was published this week in the international research journal Cell Metabolism and is one of the first to examine why milk is an efficient weight-loss tool.

NR is a relatively new type of vitamin discovered in milk just five years ago by a biochemist at Dartmouth Medical School. According to Telegraph India, researchers found that NR plays an important role in keeping mice slim and fit -- even when fed a high-fat diet. Mice fed NR supplements burned more fat and showed greater endurance in their muscles than their NR-deprived friends.

The results of the study have shed new light on milk’s role in keeping the population healthy and fit, while providing possible new ways to protect against obesity and metabolic disorders. Future studies hope to take research one step further by observing NR’s role in maintaining human health.